Hall Basil

Hall, Basil, naval officer, explorer, and author, born in 1788, was a son of Sir James Hall, Bart., of Dunglass. He entered the navy in 1802, served as a lieutenant in the Endymion in covering the retreat of Sir John Moore's army in 1809, and became a commander in 1814, and a captain in 1817. As a commander in the Lyra, 10, he accompanied Lord Amherst's embassy to China, and on his return published A Voyage to the Western Coasts of Corea, etc. (1817). He then made a long tour on the Continent and travelled extensively. His experiences are embodied in numerous works, among which may be mentioned Extracts from a Journal written on the Coasts of Chili, Pent and Mexico (1823), Travels in North America (1828), and Patchwork (1841). He died in 1844.